Prevalence

An estimated 20 million people have Dry Eye.1 Dry Eye can be caused by environmental, occupational, or lifestyle factors, such as allergies, smoke, dust, prolonged computer use, or contact lens use over extended periods of time.

Patients with Dry Eye include:

  • Patients taking other medications (eg, hormone replacement therapies)2
  • Patients using artificial tears several times a day3
  • Patients with autoimmune inflammatory diseases (eg, Sjögren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma)4
  • Patients who wear contact lenses4
  • LASIK and refractive surgery patients5
  • Patients with ocular allergy6
  • Postmenopausal patients7

Many patients with Dry Eye have already tried an average of 2 or more brands of artificial tears.8

Indication and Usage: RESTASIS® Ophthalmic Emulsion is indicated to increase tear production in patients whose tear production is presumed to be suppressed due to ocular inflammation associated with keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Increased tear production was not seen in patients currently taking topical anti-inflammatory drugs or using punctal plugs.

Important Safety Information:

Contraindications: RESTASIS® is contraindicated in patients with active ocular infections and in patients with known or suspected hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients in the formulation.

Warning: RESTASIS® Ophthalmic Emulsion has not been studied in patients with a history of herpes keratitis.

Precautions: RESTASIS® should not be administered while wearing contact lenses. If contact lenses are worn, they should be removed prior to the administration of the emulsion.

Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse event was ocular burning (upon instillation) – 17%. Other events reported in 1% to 5% of patients included conjunctival hyperemia, discharge, epiphora, eye pain, foreign body sensation, pruritus, stinging, and visual disturbance (most often blurring).

Please see full prescribing information for RESTASIS® Ophthalmic Emulsion.

References
  1. Market Scope. Report on the Global Dry Eye Market. St. Louis, MO: Market Scope, July 2004.
  2. Schaumberg DA, Buring JE, Sullivan DA, Dana MR. Hormone replacement therapy and dry eye syndrome. JAMA.2001;286:2114-2119.
  3. Behrens A, Doyle JJ, Stern L, et al. Dysfunctional tear syndrome: a Delphi approach to treatment recommendations. Cornea. 2006;25:900-907.
  4. Albietz JM. Dry eye: an update on clinical diagnosis, management and promising new treatments. Clin Exp Optom. 2001;84:4-18.
  5. Hovanesian JA, Shah SS, Maloney RK. Symptoms of dry eye and recurrent erosion syndrome after refractive surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2001;27:577-584.
  6. Bielory L. Ocular allergy and dry eye syndrome. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004;4:421-424.
  7. Altintaş Ö, Çağlar Y, Yüksel N, Demirci A, Karabaş L. The effects of menopause and hormone replacement therapy on quality and quantity of tear, intraocular pressure and ocular blood flow. Ophthalmologica. 2004;218:120-129.
  8. Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc. The 2010 Gallup Study of Dry Eye Sufferers–Summary Volume. Princeton, NJ: Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc., July 2010.
  9. Schaumberg DA, Sullivan DA, Buring JE, Dana MR. Prevalence of dry eye syndrome among US women. Am J Ophthalmol. 2003;136:318-326.